The stakes are so high for the Cincinnati Bengals that even their eternally aloof organizational leadership must realize it, if only subconsciously.
Like yes, Duke Tobin can try to hold himself to account in a season-ending press conference for the first time ever. He's really just a glorified meat puppet proselytizing pro-Mike Brown/Blackburn family propaganda.
While the rest of the AFC North opted for coaching changes, the Bengals ran it back with Tobin in charge of personnel and Zac Taylor as head coach. Taylor's contract runs through 2027 — a full season longer than was publicly known before news of his retention surfaced.
So just how hot is Zac Taylor's seat entering the 2026 season? According to a new list by Fox Sports, Taylor's throne seat temperature rivals that of any coach in the NFL.
NFL head coach hot seat rankings have Bengals coach Zac Taylor in the top five
Ralph Vacchiano's hierarchy of hot seat head coaches sure is a spicy one. Having the Eagles' Nick Sirianni No. 2, for instance, is quite a choice, considering Sirianni has won a Super Bowl and appeared to another during his tenure.
Can't say I disagree with the Sirianni take, though. That dude is carried by Howie Roseman. The biggest, not sharpest, tool in the metaphorical shed.
Lest I trigger the belligerent, Philly cheesesteak-gnashing, obnoxious cesspool of toxicity that is the Iggles fanbase collective, who Sirianni is a live-action, Dorian Gray portrait paragon of (y'all deserve each other!), let's keep it dialed in on Taylor and why Vacchiano ranked him fifth. I truncated the blurb to capture the most salient bits:
"[Taylor] is still around for two reasons: 1) Nobody can seriously blame him for the run of injuries to Joe Burrow; and, 2) The Bengals are notoriously cheap and don’t want to pay him not to coach. But even the Bengals owners have their breaking point, right? If Burrow is healthy in 2026, there is no reason this team shouldn’t make the playoffs and compete for the AFC North title, [...] but if the losing continues, and [Burrow] grows unhappier, will that change? At some point, they might want to pair one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with a more competent coach."
GET 'EM, RALPH!!
That's right. The Bengals are notoriously cheap and it irks me when homer fans pretend otherwise.
I've been saying this all offseason. And by "all offseason", fully aware that the league-wide offseason is less than a week old in earnest, I mean, "since approx. December 14, 2025, when the Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention. But really before that.
Oh right. What have I been saying all offseason? This: If the Bengals do not make the playoffs in 2026, Joe Burrow will demand a trade. Full stop.
...Unless heads roll. Or a radical change is made. And guess what? Duke Tobin has held his job since 1999. He has a lifetime contract. A Mike Brown Made Man.
Cincinnati's cheap reputation and loyalty to Marvin Lewis amid his many one-and-done playoff exits would suggest there's zero chance Taylor gets axed, no matter what happens in 2026. Burrow's public displays of discontent and frustration ought to change the math on that mentality.
In the end, Taylor is the inevitable fall guy if things go sideways this coming season. Let's hope it doesn't get to that point. To me, Taylor is a fine coach. He knows offense. Could his game management, crunch-time play-calling, and ability to galvanize the defense improve? Sure, but there's only so much in Taylor's control.
Lets land the plane here. Vacchiano's list, in order of hottest seat to not-as-hot, goes as follows: Aaron Glenn, Nick Sirianni, Todd Bowles, Dave Canales, Zac Taylor, Shane Steichen, Kevin O'Connell, Dan Quinn, Matt LaFleur, and Brian Schottenheimer.
Other than Glenn and Bowles, I'd be shocked if any of those other coaches was on the chopping block ahead of Zac Taylor. And that's taking into account the Bengals' cheap-o DNA.